Mass. town says it’s ‘not facing a public health crisis’ amid tuberculosis concerns

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. — A Massachusetts town says it’s “not facing a public health crisis” amid the recent rise in concerns over tuberculosis cases that have popped up.

Westborough Public Health Director Jennifer Sullivan said that four town residents are actively undergoing treatment for tuberculosis, which is caused by bacteria that can be spread when an untreated person with an active infection coughs or sneezes.

“In response to some concerns that have been raised, the Westborough Health Department would like to make clear that Westborough is not facing a public health crisis regarding tuberculosis,” Sullivan said in a statement.

Sullivan cautioned concerned residents that transmission of tuberculosis to someone else usually requires a person to be a close contact for a prolonged period of time. In some cases, the bacteria doesn’t cause an active infection.

“In some people, the bacteria enter the lungs, but doesn’t cause an active infection and there are no symptoms,” Sullivan explained. “This is called latent TB and can be detected by testing. Persons with latent TB will not transmit TB to someone else unless the person with latent TB develops active TB.”

Sullivan said that about 5-10 percent of people with latent TB will eventually develop active TB and that it can be prevented by treating it with medication. She also noted that it’s standard public health practice for close contacts of persons with active TB to be screened for latent TB.

In 2023, there were a total of 80 reports of people in Westborough with either active TB, latent TB, suspected TB, or close contacts of persons with active TB, according to Sullivan. There were 86 reports in 2022.

Symptoms of tuberculosis include a persistent cough that lasts more than three weeks, weight loss, night sweats, high fever, tiredness and fatigue, loss of appetite, and swellings that don’t subside.

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